


Stand by Me

by Akiko_Natsuko



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Abandonment, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Apologies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Family, Forgiveness, Friendship, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Trust, Love, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Memories, Nesting, Nightmares, Promises, Relationship Problems, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 03:06:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16715413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Jack had never doubted that they would be there for him, until they weren't. Tensions and work are rising, and his own needs seem to pale in comparison to that and so he hides the fact that his heat is approaching, praying that they'll realise in time.





	1. Chapter 1

    Jack didn’t even bother trying to tell them that something was wrong that morning, tired of being brushed off. Instead, he accepted the hasty, half-hearted kisses and tried not to focus on the flicker of hurt that followed as they left without a backwards look. It was only when the door to their shared quarters closed that he let himself break, a low whine slipping free as he pressed a hand against his stomach, massaging softly as though that would do something to ease the cramps that had been building up over the last couple of days. It wouldn’t. He had been through enough heats to know that at best it would take the edge off, but it doubted that it would even do that much this time, because he was in heat and his Alphas…they hadn’t even noticed, his fingers dug in this time, hard enough to bruise.

They hadn’t noticed, and he hadn’t told them.

    Usually, he would have, that was one of the few benefits of the pre-heat period, giving them time to make sure their duties were covered before they retreated for the heat itself. This time though he hadn’t been able to tell them, and not for lack of trying. As soon as he caught the shift in his scent, his normal sweetness becoming even sweeter and woken one morning doubled over with cramps he had attempted to raise the issue, only to find his words falling on deaf ears. He had let it go that first time. Both Gabe and Jesse were up to their ears with missions and the public backlash against Blackwatch, he could see it in the tense shoulders and restless nights, smell it in the sour undertone that had entered their scent the last few weeks. But when he had tried the next day he had been greeted with the same response, the brusque ‘we’ll talk about it later’ and the ‘not now Jack’, he had tried again that evening, just to be snapped at by Gabriel before the man had stormed out of their quarters, Jesse leaving a few minutes later.

    He hadn’t tried again, hoping that they would pick up on the change in his scent or the fact that he had started trying to nest. His eyes were stinging now, his grip deliberately bruising as he looked around their bedroom. Normally at this point the bed and the floor around it would be covered in extra cushions and duvets pilfered from stores, with their wardrobes emptied out on top of it, surrounding him in their scents, making him feel safe. Instead, there was nothing but the messy bed covers from that morning because when he had started trying to nest a few days before he had come home after a meeting to find it all tidied away, Gabe growling at him to try and be a bit tidier. He had been about to protest, anger breaking through the pain at having his nest dismantled before he could even finish it when he had caught the scent of bleach in the air and realised that Gabriel had cleaned the entire place. His protests had died there and then because he knew Gabriel cleaned when stressed, just like Jesse would spend hours and hours killing bots in the training rooms.

Gabe hadn’t meant to dismantle his nest, he just hadn’t noticed…

    Somehow that hurt even more, and to the Alpha’s surprise, he had just walked out of their quarters, retreating to his office and burying himself in his work. It had been nearly two in the morning before they had come looking for him, scolding him for working so late, mistaking the shadows under his eyes and flushed cheeks for exhaustion rather than an approaching heat. He should have told them then, but he was worried that it was the last thing they needed when they were already stressed out, and so instead he had let them herd him back to bed. Soaking up what comfort he could when they had put him to bed and curled up on either side of him, kissing his shoulders and telling him to rest. Hoping that maybe it was a turning point.

    It hadn’t been, things returning to normal the next day and Jack had just given up. He made no effort to tell them about his rapidly approaching heat, fighting tooth and nail against the urge to nest and burying himself in his work so that there would be less to cover when it inevitably hit. He just hadn’t expected it to hit quite so fast, he should have had at least two more days, and he hadn’t even had a chance to ask Ana to cover for him. It was that thought which finally had him reaching for his communicator, but before he could reach it, another cramp had him doubling over, another whine slipping out, a distress call for his Alpha.

_Gabe. Jesse. Gabe. Jesse._

    All thoughts of contacting Ana, of work, disappeared as he curled in on himself, sinking back in the bed and burying his nose in their pillows. For a moment their scents soothed him, allowing a moment of clarity and he considered whether to try again. They would be in the Blackwatch office by now, he could call them and ask…beg…for them to come home.

_But if they refuse…_

   It was a fear that he’d never had before, even in the early days when they had been struggling to find a balance between the three of them, but right at this moment, he couldn’t convince himself that they would come for him. He whined again, calling for them even as he huddled further into the pillows. He couldn’t risk it. It was better to deal with this alone than call them and be rejected. _It would be easier_ …his omega side didn’t agree, beginning too keen in distress as the moment of clarity slipped away, and all he was left with was the burning sensation spreading beneath his skin and the knowledge that he was alone.

****

    Ana scowled as she glanced at the clock again. Jack was late. There had been the odd morning when he had come rushing into his office still yanking on his coat and trying to sort out the crow’s nest on top of his head. Those were usually the mornings when Gabriel would call within the first hour, and if she caught a glimpse of McCree he would have a satisfied grin on his lips, but he was never late, especially not this late. He was supposed to have been here an hour ago to go over the latest regulations that had been handed down from the Director and the U.N., but there was no sign of him, and all her calls had gone unanswered, and when she had contacted Gabriel, he had said that he didn’t know anything. She frowned, tapping her fingers against the desk, Gabriel had been unconcerned by the news, and yet the Gabriel she knew would usually have abandoned everything to go and check on his mate. It had been bad enough when they were just friends, but when Jack had finally given into their courting, he had become ridiculously protective.

_So why the disinterest this time?_

   She wasn’t blind, the last few weeks had been stressful for everyone, and she knew that Blackwatch had been hit by the worst of it, so it made sense for them to be stressed and distracted. But Jack…her tapping sped up as she thought about the last few days, how he had been working more than usual, and any enquiries about his mates had been met with blunt, usually one-word answers, rather than the usual rambling answers and soft smile.

“Athena, where is Commander Morrison?” The A.I hadn’t been able to get through to his communicator earlier, but she should at least be able to locate him. Jack was nothing if not devoted to his duty and he had never disappeared entirely, even on the days when everything had been piling up, and she knew that he wanted nothing more than to just vanish.

“Strike Commander Morrison.” The A.I sounded scolding, always insisting on using full titles even when they had all tried to convince her to drop them, and Ana felt her lips quirk, needing the little hint of normality. “Is currently in his quarters. Should I try contacting him again?”

“No,” Ana scowled, concern bubbling up at the news as she pushed herself away from the desk. “I’ll go and see him myself.” Had he just fallen asleep? Or was he ill? She could probably count on one hand the number of times he had come down with something, the SEP enhancements leaving him highly resilient against everything but the most persistent of bugs, and he had a bad habit of not realising he was under the weather until he collapsed. She found her steps speeding up as she left the office, remembering the last time he had pushed himself too hard and gone down hard on a flight of steps, resulting in a nasty concussion, a broken arm and two panicked Alphas.

**

He wasn’t ill.

    She had been able to smell his heat from the end of the corridor. As a Beta, she wasn’t particularly sensitive to the scents that affected the others, but since having Fareeha she had discovered that scents that she had missed before stood out more vividly, her body’s way of making sure she could monitor her family even if her daughter was years away from presenting. She fought the urge to cover her nose or gag at the scent flooding the hallway, instead frowning as she sniffed the air. It wasn’t the first time she had caught Jack in heat, but she had never encountered the strange sourness in his scent, feeling it burn the back of her throat and an uneasy shiver down her spine. _Something is wrong._ Her first instinct was to call Gabriel or Jesse after all, Jack was their mate, and they weren’t likely to take kindly to a stranger around him when he was in heat, even a Beta.

   But she paused realising that they should already have been here. There were always signs for nearly two weeks that Jack was heading into heat, and she realised that she had caught the shift in his scent and thought nothing of it, but then again it wasn’t her place too. Her expression darkened, had they honestly managed to miss the signs? A growl bubbled up in the back of her throat, Jack was family and whilst she was only a Beta she still felt the urge to protect him and all thoughts of calling them fled as she moved to the door and rapped sharply on it, praying that he would answer the door and tell her that everything was okay. A moment passed, and she knocked again, louder this time even as she began to reach for the keypad, glad that they had given her the code in case of emergencies. When there was still no answer she quickly punched in the number, the door slipping open at once and this time she did gag as she was hit by a fresh wave of Jack’s scent, the sourness more prominent now.

“Jack?!” She called once she was sure that he wasn’t in the living area or kitchen, cautiously stepping inside and closing the door firmly behind her. The last thing they need was an unexperienced Alpha catching his scent and following it inside. That had happened once before and had almost ended in a bloodbath when Jesse had caught them. There was still no answer, the silence making her even more nervous and she tried again. “Jack I’m coming in!”

    She hesitated at the bedroom door, knowing that he must be nesting if he was already in heat and wary of disturbing it, even though she had shared a nest with him before when Jesse and Gabriel had been trapped on the far side of the world in a mission that had gone wrong. She couldn’t ease him like they could, but having family close helped and she had been more than happy to cuddle with him, telling him stories of her childhood and tales of Fareeha’s latest antics during his moments of coherence, humming to him when he was less lucid. However, there was still no sign that he knew that she was there and in the end, her concern won out, and she pushed the door open and stepped inside, a curse slipping out as she finally spotted Jack.

    He was a mess. He was curled up in the centre of the bed, somehow managing to look tiny despite his size. His bedclothes, a shirt that he had clearly stolen from Gabriel and pants that looked like they belonged to Jesse were clinging to him, sweat running down his face even though he appeared to be shivering when she stepped close enough to see. His face was drained of colour, aside from the unnatural flush covering his cheeks and as she watched he whimpered, curling tighter around the pillow that he was holding onto like a lifeline. Then he whined. A cry for help that had her darting forward before she could ever register having moved, her hands trembling as she reached out to cradle his face in her hands, feeling the heat that was radiating off him.

“Jack?” She called, deliberately softening her voice as he whined again. _How did he get this bad?_ Now that she was holding him, she could feel the tremors wracking him, a sick feeling pooling in the pit of her stomach as she realised that he was teetering on the edge of Heat Sickness if not already there and it took her a minute to get her voice to work again. “Jack?!” Gently she stroked his cheeks, crooning at him and she was rewarded a couple of minutes later by a sliver of blue as his eyes crept open, and she waited patiently as he battled to focus on her, heart aching as she realised how red-rimmed his eyes were, as though he had wept at some point.

“…Ana?” She could’ve cried with relief at the uncertain whisper, nodding and forcing a smile for his sake, letting her fingers dip lower and brushing against his scent nodes. The desperate way he leant into her touch and the whine that accompanied the reaction quickly quelled whatever relief she could feel, and she shushed him as he tried to follow her fingers as she pulled back.

“Easy,” she murmured when he whined again. “I’ve got you.” She glanced around, realising that there was no sign of a nest and no materials gathered to make one. What could have happened? Usually, he would have been hoarding materials for days if not weeks before, but there was nothing but the bedcovers which he had shoved to the side at some point. Her eyes darted to the wardrobe, wondering if it would help if she piled the clothes up for him, but another whine told her it was too late for that, at this point he would only settle in a nest of his own making, or his mates’. “Jack?” She waited patiently for him to focus on her again, although she wasn’t convinced that he was fully with her, brushing her fingers against his cheek to keep his attention when his gaze threatened to wander again. “Jack, why are you on your own?” It came out gentler than she wanted, her temper rising beneath her concern as he whimpered again, knuckles turning white as he clutched the pillow even tighter.

“They don’t know.”

    She had guessed as much, but it didn’t make it any better to hear it confirmed, because in the past neither Jesse or Gabriel would have thought about leaving Jack alone at a time like this. Religiously keeping track of their mate’s heats to ensure at least one of them were home apart from that one mission that had been out of their control. “I need to let them know.” _You need them,_ while he had settled a little with her presence, the trembling was getting worse, and it seemed to her that the heat radiating from his skin was intensifying by the second.

“N-No.” The reaction was immediate, the waver in his voice ruining his attempted command and he seemed to crumple for a moment before reaching out to grasp her wrist. “Please.”

“Why not?” She asked softly, frowning at him as she caught the hint of stubbornness in his gaze. This was not the time for him to be stubborn and she pulled herself out of his grip, instead reaching to grasp his hand, squeezing softly. “Jack, you need them.” She could ease his discomfort, but that wouldn’t be enough, not this time. Jack glanced away, huddling in on himself and mumbling something under his breath, the words lost against the material of the pillow.  “What was that?”

“What if they d-don’t come?” Jack whispered, still not looking at her, voice wavering worse than ever and Ana’s heart ached at the uncertainty. The doubt in his voice. It was something she had never heard from him before, not about his mates, and anger at the pair of them was rising by the moment. She was trying to summon up the words to reassure him, even though she couldn’t help but wonder if he had a good reason for his doubt, but Jack whined and shook his head, peering up at her.  “It’s better…” _It’s better if they just don’t know, rather than deciding not to come._

“Jack.” Ana knew what he hadn’t said, sighing and hesitating for a moment. As much as she wanted to adhere to his wishes, especially when his mates had been the one to drop the ball on this. There was no way she could ignore the fact that he had lost even more colour in the last few minutes or that his lucidity was slipping away, his gaze drifting as he started to squirm again. When he whined again she reached out, running her fingers through his hair once more, crooning at him, the sound bringing his focus back to her and he frowned, blinking blearily up at her.

“…Ana?”

     The confusion in his voice, his surprise at finding her there even though they had been talking only seconds before made up her mind, as did the way he doubled up with a groan, his entire body shuddering under the force of the cramp that had just rocked him. The scent of heat intensified making her recoil, her stomach rolling at the scent of an omega in distress, desperately wanting to soothe him but knowing that it was beyond her abilities. _I’m sorry Jack._

   Carefully she reached for the discarded covers and tugged them back over him, he was burning to the touch now, but he would need the warmth to try and delay the encroaching effects of Heat Sickness, just long enough for her to get help. He whimpered and whined as the material rubbed against his oversensitive skin and tried to bat it away, she crooned again, trying to settle him while tucking the covers in. Once satisfied that he wouldn’t easily be able to throw them off she swept sweaty strands of hair from his face, before lightly brushing over his scent nodes again, just enough to tide him over. “I’m going to go and get your mates.” She waited for the protests, but Jack was too far gone, whining as he fought the covers, tossing his head restlessly from side to side and she was almost certain that she had heard him whisper ‘Jesse’ and ‘Gabe’ between pained noises. “Hold on Jack.”

    It was harder than she cared to admit leaving him, especially when he cried out the moment she rose from her spot beside him, flailing wildly, desperately seeking contact. She faltered, tempted to just ask Athena to summon the pair, but would they listen? Jack’s reaction to the mention of his mates didn’t give her much hope, and if she was honest she wanted answers from them before she was willing to let them near him, the last thing he needed was them lashing out at him. At this stage that would be disastrous. _Gabriel, Jesse, what are you thinking?_ With a last lingering glance at the restless Omega, she turned and hurried for the door, barking at Athena to keep an eye on his condition and to notify her and Angela if it reached a life-threatening level.

 


	2. Chapter 2

    Jack whined as he fought against the covers that were currently holding him in place. He was too hot, and everything hurt, the quilt burning whenever it met his skin, but the discomfort was lost as he sniffed the air, catching the scent lingering in the air. There had been someone with him, Jack was sure of it although no matter how hard he tried to marshal his thoughts he couldn’t remember who it had been, couldn’t place the scent that was tugging at him, familiar, soothing, but not enough. He whined louder, hoping to bring the person back to his side. He was lucid enough to know that it hadn’t been his alphas, but right now he didn’t care, he needed something or someone…he wanted Jesse. He wanted Gabriel. He didn’t care that they had ignored him, that they had destroyed his nest, that they had forgotten. He just wanted them there with him.

    He was whining again, abandoning his efforts to escape the covers, his moment of awareness fading. All he could focus on was the fact that he was in heat, his temperature soaring and stomach clenching, and that he was alone when he didn’t want to be. The whine was rising, growing louder and shriller. Shame coloured his thoughts, but he didn’t understand why couldn’t comprehend the sudden urge to cut off the noise that flooded him a moment later. He needed to make it, he needed to let his mates know that he needed them. He wanted them, and with that admission, there was no more holding it back, the shrill call bursting out of him a moment later, uncontrollable, deafening.

The cry of an omega in distress…

****

    Gabriel rubbed a hand across his face, feeling every one of his years as he studied the map display laid out in front of them, searching desperately for an answer. The recent backlash against Blackwatch had meant that their missions had to be carried out with even greater secrecy, and with fewer resources, which was why one his teams were currently trapped in Siberia with no clear escape route. His eyes darted to the list of names in front of him. He knew every one of those agents, had personally recruited four of them and had trained all six of them. They were some of his best, and right now they were trapped and injured because of a mission he had sent them on, probably unaware of the political and media storm they would be returning to if…when he got them out of there.

“Gabe.” Jesse nudged him, reaching up to pull his hand away and Gabriel realised that he had been starting to claw at the scars on his cheek, a nervous tick he had picked up after the disastrous mission that had left him with the marks, and with both Jesse and Jack in hospital. He let Jesse hold onto his hand, sighing as the younger alpha nuzzled his hand for a moment, his scent flooding the air, something that most alphas would have seen as a challenge and yet Gabriel felt himself relaxing and tugging Jesse closing.

“What a fucking mess,” he muttered, twisting so that he could bury his face against Jesse, feeling metal fingers gently beginning to card through his hair. This was the only time he could really show how much everything was getting to him. Around the rest of their men, he had to remain calm and confident, aware of the worried whispers whenever a new story was released, or he was summoned to another meeting. In front of his superiors and the media, he had to show a mix of contrition and confidence, fighting for Blackwatch but acknowledging their mistakes. And at home he was reluctant to say too much, knowing that if the weight on his shoulders were bad, then it must be ten times as bad for Jack who was having to handle this crisis along with the everyday running of Overwatch and all that entailed. But with Jesse he could be open about it, could let some of the weakness show and no that he wouldn’t be judged for it, although it had taken him a long time to realise that.

“It’ll work out, it always does.”

“How did you end up so optimistic?” Gabriel grumbled without heat, breathing in Jesse’s scent, wishing that he could inhale his optimism too because right now he couldn’t see a way out of this mess that didn’t end with a court-martial and the potential loss of several of his agents.

“I learned from the best.” He didn’t need to ask who that was, the soft tone said it all, the same tone he adopted whenever he spoke about Jack, and he couldn’t help but smile. Jack had changed a lot from the naïve, out of his depth man he had first encountered a year before they’d wound up in SEP together, and yet sometimes it was like those months of suffering and the years of fighting had never happened. Part of him envied Jack for being able to hold onto that innocence when Gabriel felt as though every trace of it had been stamped out of him, but a larger part was desperate to protect it, to shield it from the world so that they always had something waiting for them. So, that Jack never changed. “Besides, I figure I’m living proof that there’s always a way out of a bad place, and that things really do get better,” Jesse added softly, drawing Gabriel back to the present and Gabriel pulled back to look at his mate, taking in the soft look in the tawny eyes.

“Jesse,” he leant up, humming approvingly when Jesse met him halfway. It was only a fleeting kiss, they didn’t dare do more in their office, but it was enough, and he felt a little more at ease when he sat back, his hand still on Jesse’s grasp. “Thank you.” Jesse had always been able to see everything, something he had once jokingly attributed to the fact that he was a sharpshooter, but it was an invaluable skill and a godsend to Gabriel and Jack who tended to get caught up in their own head. In fact, that had been how he had first come to them, stepping in when no one else had dared when a rare argument had spiralled out of control and was starting to affect their work, it had taken long hours of talking and cajoling, prizing them both out of their own thoughts to resolve the issue. That had been the first inkling they’d had that they needed Jesse and it had snowballed from there, and now it was unthinkable for him not to be by their sides, and Gabriel sighed, squeezing warm fingers. “Thank you,” he repeated, before focusing on the map once more. “Let’s get this finished, and then I think we all need a couple of hours together.”

“Without work?”

“Without work,” Gabriel affirmed, the relieved grin that greeted his words telling him that it had been the right thing to say, that he wasn’t the only stressed by the situation. Besides, he knew that it would take both to convince Jack to take a break from work with everything that was happening. “I’ll…”

    He wasn’t given a chance to finish as the door to his office slammed open, Jesse immediately releasing him even though everyone knew about their relationship at this point, and Gabriel growled as he turned to face the intruder, ready to flay them alive. His office door might always be open to his men when they needed it, but he did demand that they knocked, not least because of the number of times he had nearly been caught in compromising positions with Jack and Jesse. However, the words died on his tongue as he found himself face to face with a livid Ana Amari. It had been a long time since he’d seen anything approaching the expression on her face as her gaze darted between him and Jesse, and instinctively sat back, unable to forget the dressing down she had delivered when he had spoken out of turn and too harshly, reducing some new recruits she was training to tears.

“Ana?” Jesse, the coward, had moved to stand behind him, although the younger man had even more cause to fear her as he had pushed his boundaries around her when he had first been recruited although they had long since buried the hatchet. Or so Gabriel had thought, because the glare that was currently being levelled at them said differently, as did the noise when she slammed the door shut behind her, and he frowned. Ana wasn’t the kind of person to slam doors, and an uneasy feeling swept through him as she moved toward the desk.

    She halted a short distance away, still glaring at them, but there was an expectant look on her face as though she was waiting for them to start confessing and Gabriel risked a glance at Jesse, finding that he looked just as confused as he felt. “Ana?” He asked, turning back to look at her. “What is this about?” He still wasn’t happy about her storming into his office, but he wasn’t about to pick a fight if he could help it, that tended to end with her sleeping darting them, and he was still hoping to make it home at a decent time and spend some time with his mates.

“Can’t you smell it?” Ana demanded incredulously, and Gabriel frowned and sniffed the air. He could smell the earthy smell that came from Jesse, and a lighter, almost wintery scent that came from Ana - the smell of a Beta who’d had a child and…he wrinkled his nose, realising that there was an unpleasant scent lingering around her, startled when a growl bubbled up even though he couldn’t place the scent. Ana’s expression darkened at the noise, and then she was moving around the desk, ignoring the way they both tensed at the aggressive approach to thrust her wrist under Gabriel’s nose. “Smell this.”

“Ana, what the…?” Gabriel began to ask even as he obeyed, the sourness even more pronounced than before and now he could tell that it wasn’t coming from her, but his words were cut off by the snarl that rang out from behind him, and he immediately twisted to look at his mate, stunned by the pained look on Jesse’s face.  “Jesse?”

“Jack…”

“Jack?” Gabriel’s eyes widened as he turned back and took another sniff, and this time he caught it, the faint hint of Jack’s scent, a gentle, tickling smell that always called to mind summer. It was so faint that he lost it a moment later, lost amongst the sourness and the uneasy feeling blossoming into dread because Jack should never smell like that. Their mate should never smell like that…like an Omega in distress, but somehow worse, the sourness worse than anything he had ever smelt even that time when he had woken in the infirmary to find Jack in pieces at his bedside waiting to find out if either of his mates were going to come back to him.

“What happened?” He demanded. Had there been an attack? Was Jack hurt? It wouldn’t be the first time that an assassin had come after Jack, nor the first time that one had got through their efforts to protect Jack, and he was out of his chair before Ana had even responded. Her quiet answer bringing him to a halt, thoughts reeling, made worse by the low, pained noise from Jesse as he caught onto the full implication of what she had said.

“He’s in heat.”

“But…” He hadn’t smelt anything that morning when they had said goodbye and Jesse would’ve said if he had, and Jack hadn’t said anything to either of them. An unpleasant thought occurred to him as he realised how brief their farewell had been that morning, the kiss a mere peck of the lips, no scenting even though in the past all three of them had always taken the time to scent one another before leaving for the day. Could he really have missed it? Could they both have missed it? And why hadn’t Jack told them? And that scent, that wasn’t what the smell that flooded their rooms when Jack was in heat, the heavenly scent that Gabriel had long since decided was second only to the scent the three of them made when they were curled together. “He didn’t say anything.”

“No,” Ana admitted, but there was something in her voice that told him there was more to it than that, but before he could ask she had taken a step back. “But you didn’t realise either, did you?” Gabriel coloured at the question, knowing what she was getting at. Yes, Jack always warned them about his heat, wanting to make things easier for all of them, but usually both he and Jesse caught the shift in his scent before he could even say a word. _Not this time,_ he was desperately thinking back, trying to think about whether he had caught even the slightest change, dismayed to realise that with everything that had been happening he couldn’t even remember the last time he had paused to smell either of his mates.

“No…”

“Gabe?” Jesse had stepped closer, lifting a hand to grip his shoulder, the touch no doubt supposed to be reassuring, the effect ruined by the tremble that Gabriel detected. “Jack…” _We screwed up,_ Jesse hadn’t said the words, but he might as well have, and Gabriel growled.

“I know.” His gaze shifted to the table, to the work he still had to do, the other people that were relying on him. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time…

“Don’t even think about it,” Ana cut in sharply, and Gabriel flinched as he turned back to her. “There are plenty of people that can take over your duties, but you two are the only ones that can help Jack now.” The stress she put on that stopped him from protesting, and he frowned, sniffing again, feeling the scent burning his nose, and now his eyes widened. He had never smelt this scent before, he’d never given Jack a chance to get in this state, but he could vaguely remember it being mentioned in school and he had caught a similar bitter scent in the infirmary from an Omega who had gone into heat just as her mate had been killed in action…

    He shot forward, mind flooded with the memory of how she had writhed and screamed, crying out for a mate that could no longer come, and the long anxious fight to stabilise her that had ended in defeat.

    Heat sickness, the one aspect of an Omega’s heat that the doctors hadn’t been able to find a cure for. They could supress heats, conceal scents, but there was no medical solution to heat sickness, and no matter what care was provided it was rarely enough. A mated Omega needed their mate. If their mate was unavailable at that time, the sickness could be staved off by the comfort of a trusted Beta, but it would only work if the Omega knew that he was still wanted and that his pleas were being heard. And Jack… Jack… _how could he doubt that?_

   He was still trying to get to the door, Jesse close on his heels although it was clear from the confusion he glimpsed on his mate’s face that the younger man didn’t understand the sudden urgency, but he had no time to explain it, especially when Ana moved to block his way. Standing firm even when he snarled at her, letting his Alpha scent flare, trying to force her to move but she didn’t so much as flinch.

“Move.” Didn’t she understand that they needed to get to Jack? _No,_ she did understand, that was why she had stormed here and why she was so angry with them. So why wasn’t she moving? He growled again, baring his teeth at her, he would apologise later when Jack was safe, and they had fixed whatever the hell they had managed to break. “Get out of our way.”

“No,” Ana snapped, unperturbed when he snarled at her, moving to make sure that she was completely blocking the doorway although they all knew that she wouldn’t be able to stop them if they really tried to get past her. Gabriel was tempted, the urge to get to their Omega almost overwhelming, the sour scent fanning his temper, but there was something in her expression that made him wait. “Not until you tell me how the hell you could have missed this?” He flinched violently at the accusation, and he knew without looking that Jesse had reacted the same, and he found himself unable to hold her gaze, ducking his head as his hands curled into fists at his side. _How had he missed this? How had they missed this?_ He swallowed, realising that he really had no answer. It never should have happened…

    Ana was relentless, taking a step towards them which was more threatening than it should have been for a Beta. “Not until you can explain, adequately why Jack is currently on the cusp of Heat Sickness, and yet I find the two of you covered in each other’s scent and not his?”

“Ana...” Jesse protested weakly.

“He is my family,” Ana wasn’t backing down, even with both currently pumping their Alpha scents into the air around her. “I won’t let you hurt him more than you have.”

“We…” _Wouldn’t…_ Gabriel couldn’t bring himself to finish his protest, because the fact was that somehow, they had already hurt Jack.

“Do you know what he told me?” Ana didn’t give him a chance to continue, staring him down, and he was torn between relief at the news that Jack had at least been coherent enough to speak and fear of what else she might say. “He told me that it was better that you didn’t know he was in heat. Not because he doesn’t want you.” For the first time since she had burst in her expression softened, even now she wasn’t cruel enough to make them think that, although her voice was still sharp as she delivered the blow. “But because he was afraid you wouldn’t come, he was afraid that you would outright reject him.”

“Never!”

“No? What else is he supposed to think when his mates didn’t realise he was going into heat?” Ana’s tone was glacial now, and Gabriel found himself taking a step back, cowering back from the Beta as she stared them down. “Why else would the man who has always sung your praises, be convinced that you weren’t going to come for him even if he asked?”

“Ana…” _Jack said that? Jack thought that we wouldn’t come?_ That hurt more than anything Gabriel had heard too far, and he didn’t fight when Jesse reached out to grasp his hand, both trembling at this point. _Jack._ He swallowed thickly, squeezing Jesse’s hand before taking a deep breath and facing Ana head on.  “I know that we screwed up. I get it, I really do.” It wasn’t enough, this wasn’t just a screw-up… a screw up was forgetting a date or an anniversary, this was worse, and he faltered because suddenly he wasn’t sure that he knew how to fix this. That they had a right to fix it. But it didn’t matter if they did or didn’t, all that mattered was that they got to Jack before it was too late, even if…even if he later decided he wanted them to leave. “But can’t this wait?”

    He could see that she wanted to refuse, that she wanted to hear their answers but after a moment of silence she sighed and stepped aside. Gabriel didn’t hesitate, lunging forward, all thoughts focused on getting to Jack, and yet her arm on his shoulder made him pause just long enough to glance at her. “Don’t hurt him again.”

“We won’t,” they both assured her in perfect unison, without the slightest hesitation and a second later her hand had disappeared, leaving them free to dart away.

****

_They hadn’t come._

    Jack’s throat was sore, his voice practically gone as he cried out again, the high-pitched noise flooding their rooms, and desperately he lifted his head, waiting for a response. A growl. A croon. Hell, he would even take his Alphas snapping and snarling at him, just so long as they were there, instead he was answered with silence and something inside him shattered. His next cry was a weak echo of those he had been letting off every few seconds, a mournful noise as he acknowledged that he was alone, that he had been abandoned. It hurt, tears blurring his vision as he repeated the sound, huddling in on himself, whimpering as the heat that engulfed him soared to new heights and jerking as a sharp pain knifed through his abdomen, curling in on himself as though that would shelter him from both the pain and the reality of his current situation.

_Alone…unwanted…abandoned._

 


	3. Chapter 3

****

    There were many times when Gabriel had felt that the Zurich base was too small, especially recently as it seemed that no matter where he went or who he was with he couldn’t escape the pressures of the job, of the media, of the expectations. Everywhere there were eyes watching, ears listening, to the point where it sometimes felt as though the very walls were closing in on him, but not today. Today it seemed as if the base had tripled in size as they headed towards their quarters. Towards Jack. And Gabriel was almost tearing his hair out as they had to force their way past a group of agents who had faltered at the sight of him tearing down the corridor, McCree close on his heels, and he knew that talk would spread before long, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting home.

    It was a relief when they finally turned onto the corridor that led to their quarters, the hallway thankfully empty as neither of them were in the frame of mind to show mercy if they encountered an opportunistic Alpha or even an innocent one, at the moment. However, the relief was short-lived as few paces down the hall they were abruptly hit with the same sour smell that Anna had brought with her, only here, this close to the source it was ten times as strong, and they both staggered to a halt under the sheer force of it. Jesse gagged, pressing a hand against his mouth as a low whine escaped and it was only sheer willpower that stopped Gabriel from doing the same, but his hand was trembling when he reached out to grasp Jesse’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“Come on.” He ordered, praying that Jesse wouldn’t comment on the waver in his voice, swallowing as he moved towards the door, feeling as though he was clawing his way through molasses as the smell seemed to wrap itself tighter and tighter around them. _Jack…_ Jesse was stumbling, faltering, not strong enough to stand up against the weight of their Omega’s distress and Gabriel couldn’t stop the snarl that tore itself free from his lips, his fingers biting deeply into the younger man’s shoulders, no doubt hard enough to leave bruises. “Move.” It came out sharp, angry and he gritted his teeth, knowing that they couldn’t afford to be fighting one another right now. Not when Jack needed them. Not when he already thought that they had abandoned him.

_Jack…how could you believe that?_

    What made it worse was that it had always been Jack who’d see the best in the two of them. Jack who had believed that the three of them could work even when Jesse and Gabriel had been jostling with each other, bordering on outright clashing, struggling to accept the other’s presence let alone the idea of sharing. It had been Jack who had persevered, balancing his time between them both, encouraging them to spend time together both with and without him. And it had been Jack who had pleaded with them to spend that first heat with him, when they had both decided to wait, unsure that he genuinely wanted them both. And he had been the one, exhausted yet fully himself at the end of that long week who had told them in a soft, sure voice that he wanted them to be his Alphas.

     That had given them confidence, and yet they had still let Jack take the lead the night they had bonded, wanting to make sure he had a way out if he chose. He had spent the night soothing away their lingering fears, while encouraging them on, trusting them completely even when they didn’t trust themselves. Gabriel shuddered, the hand that wasn’t holding Jesse up straying to the mark hidden just beneath the collar of his shirt, remembering the pain and the pleasure of the moment, and the sheer contentment in Jack’s face when he had examined the marks they had given him and those that he had left in turn. The happiness in his voice as he had curled up between them, exhausted, sated, letting them coddle him for once, drinking up the attention they were trying to lavish on him as he drifted towards sleep and whispering ‘I’m yours’ to them as they traced the marks they had left.

 _Yours._ It had become their word, the one they whispered late at night when they were a tangled mess on the bed that was not built for three, or first thing in the morning as they scented one another. It was the closest they would let themselves get to saying, ‘I love you’ before a mission, or when they were surrounded by people outside of their group of friends. A declaration of love and a promise to always come back, to come home. Yet when Jack murmured those words against their skin, against their lips, they had always taken on a stronger meaning, a stronger display of trust, because with that one simple word he was acknowledging that he was theirs and that he trusted them above all others. That he trusted them to be his mates, to stand by him…to not abandon him.

_“Jack…” Gabriel had been the one to worry about that level of trust, to worry about what would happen to Jack if neither he nor Jesse made it back from a mission, especially after the time they had wound up in the infirmary for weeks, Jack spending days not knowing if they were going to survive. Just that much that had nearly destroyed him and Gabriel didn’t want to imagine what would happen if they didn’t come back. It could happen. As good as he was, as talented as McCree was, there was always a chance when they left on a Blackwatch mission they might not come home._

_He hadn’t been allowed to voice those fears though, not when faced with Jack’s cerulean eyes meeting his without hesitation, not when warm lips met his, the honeyed smell of a contented Omega wrapping itself around him. It calmed his fears, especially when Jack pulled back and smiled. “You’ll always come back.” It wasn’t naivety. He could see that Jack knew that might not always be the case, a glimmer of fear hidden behind the smile, but he wasn’t focusing on it or letting it get in the way, and Gabriel took a deep breath, kissing him softly. “We will.”_

_Gabriel remembered pulling McCree a couple of days later, the two of them agreeing that no matter what they would do everything in their power to make sure they always made it back to Jack. But that if anything went wrong, then one of them had to get home, even if it meant leaving the other behind. Neither of them had been happy with the idea, as fiercely protective of one another as they were of Jack for all they butted heads on occasion, but Jack…Jack needed them. An Alpha could survive the loss of their Omega, it would hurt, the severing of a bond like that could destroy a person, but they could survive, a mated Omega couldn’t. And so, they had agreed and promised, all to make sure that Jack was protected. To make sure they wouldn’t abandon him._

Only they had…

    As much as part of him wanted to be angry at Jack for not telling them he was going into heat and letting get this bad, and for doubting that they wouldn’t come for him once they knew. Gabriel knew that he couldn’t be because they were the ones that had made him feel like that. If nothing else the trip across the base had given him an opportunity to cast his mind back over the last few weeks and he had been dismayed to realise just how little time he had spent with Jack. No, how little time they had spent with Jack. He had plenty of recollections of spending time with Jesse, both in the office as they fought with the piles of reports and the increasing demands for accountability from the U.N., in the training ranges as they put themselves and their agents through their paces and on missions. But Jack… he could remember the odd heated night, a meal here and there, the odd moment of normality between the three of them, but nothing like they were used to.

    What he could remember was cold. Distant. Brief conversations where nothing was really said. Perfunctory kisses. Arguments…Jack stalking out and hiding in his office, and now that he thought about it Gabriel didn’t know why, he had brushed away Jack’s attempts to talk about it, figuring it didn’t matter because Jack had come home. How wrong he’d been. He could see it all now, and he knew that was more he had missed, and it hurt. They had pushed Jack away, and they hadn’t even realised what they were doing.

“Gabe…” Jesse whispered, pulling him out of his darkening thoughts with a cautious nudge. “How do we fix this?” Jesse looked utterly lost, fear and uncertainty written across his face as he stared at the door to the quarters and it dawned on Gabriel that he wasn’t the only one out of his depth here. No, while the situation was terrifying for him, it had to be a hundred times worse for the younger Alpha whose upbringing with the Deadlock gang had left him with a stilted view of how the dynamics worked. He had worked hard to catch up, to learn the lessons that most people learnt as children, but this situation was beyond that and Gabriel sighed, shoulders slumping.

“I don’t know.” He cursed his inability to lie to Jesse, even to reassure him, as he saw Jesse pale at his words and he was quick to add firmly. “But we will.” _We must,_ he added silently, refusing to even contemplate what would happen if they didn’t.

    Knowing that he would have to be the one to move first he stepped forward, struggling not to recoil as he was hit with another wave of Jack’s scent. _Wrong. It’s wrong. It’s not Jack._ He could feel his Alpha instincts tugging at him, wanting to protect, but also wanting to flee, because facing this, meant facing the fact that he had failed his Omega. The former was stronger, but his hands were unsteady as he tried to type in the code, getting it wrong several times and he was about to snap at Athena to override it for them when Jesse cautiously pushed him out of the way. His fingers were trembling too, but the same skill that made him a deadly marksman no matter the situation helped him here, and barely a moment later the door buzzed and slid open. “Shit,” Jesse cursed, retching as they stepped inside, as there was no way to hide from the sour smell now and Gabriel waited only long enough to make sure the door had closed and locked itself before bolting for the bedroom, Jesse close on his heels despite his reaction to the smell.

     They had known that it was going to be bad, Ana’s reaction had warned them, as had Jack’s scent and yet they both let out anguished noises when they spied their mate. Jack was barely visible beyond a hand that was lying outstretched on top of the covers as though he had been reaching for something…or someone. The rest of him was buried beneath the covers, curled up in a ball in the centre of the bed, visibly shaking and shuddering. There was an almost constant stream of whimpers, spiking when he twitched and jerked under the force of the cramps that were no doubt wracking him by this point. He seemed unaware of their presence, even though he had always been the most sensitive of the three of them, and the raw, painful sound of his whimpers told them that he had been crying out for a long time.

Crying for help and getting no response…

“Jack,” Gabriel whispered, heart aching as Jack twisted, whimpering again. He had always suffered from bad cramps when he was in heat, but nothing like this. Then again normally they would already be curled up with him, using their body heat and scents to soothe him, along with the hot water bottles they kept stashed under the bed. Everything was screaming at him right now to go to his mate and hold him close, to soothe away this pain, yet at the same time was wary, remembering Ana’s fear that they might make things worse and their promise not to. “Jackie?”

“Sweetheart, can you hear us?” Jesse tried when there was still no sign that Jack knew they were there, sharing a worried glance with Gabriel before inching forward, reaching out to touch Jack.

    His fingers had barely brushed Jack’s shoulder when they finally got a response, only it wasn’t the one that they’d wanted as a horrible, keening wail filled the room as Jack jerked away from Jesse’s touch, cowering and hunkering further under the covers. The sound had made them both spring back in alarm and with no small amount of horror - horror that only grew as they watched Jack trying to make himself even smaller. It was a noise he should never have needed or wanted to make, especially not to them, as that wail, as ruined and wrecked as it had been was a warning and plea wrapped into one. The sound of an omega calling for help when under threat from unwanted alphas.

“He doesn’t recognise us…” Jesse had his hand pressed against his chest as though he had been burned, tawny eyes wide and terrified as he stared at Jack and Gabriel cursed, knowing that the younger was going to take it to heart and wishing that he had been the one to reach out. Although the thought of causing that sound…He shuddered and shook his head, knowing that he – they, had caused that sound.

“He’s too far gone,” he settled for saying, hating how clinical he managed to sound despite the panic that was making it hard to focus on what to do. He had never attended an Omega with heat sickness, had never thought that he would have to. They had been taught better, and if the school had failed, then his mother had more than drilled it into his head. Yet here they were… He shook his head, forcing himself to focus, not helped by Jack whimpering again, his panicked movements no doubt doing little to help his cramping. “I…Once we get him stabilised he should recognise us.” _I hope…_

“Should we get Angela?”

“It wouldn’t help now.” In fact, it would only make things worse. With the state that Jack was in right now he probably wouldn’t even accept Ana now, and he had known her far longer than he had known Angela. “At this point only having an Alpha around will help.” Yet that alone wasn’t enough. They had brought an Alpha to the omega who had lost her mate, and it had slowed her decline, but it hadn’t fixed it, and Gabriel knew that they were going to have to get Jack to realise who they were and get him to trust them enough to at least pull him through this. Gabriel grimaced at that thought, knowing that they didn’t deserve Jack’s trust after his fiasco and yet they desperately needed it. “We’re going to have to help him ourselves, just being around us should start to help….” Gabriel forced himself to move forward, stiffening but not stopping when Jack released the same heart-breaking wail as he reached out to brush his fingers against Jack’s hand which was now fisted in the covers, recoiling at the heat he could feel coming off the Omega. “But we need to get his temperature down.”

“Bath?” This at least was something had dealt with before, mainly because Jack was stubborn and hated going to the infirmary even when he was on the point of collapse and eventually they had compromised. He had to them when he was unwell, and they would do everything they could to take care of him at home, and it had worked, until now. Gabriel nodded, wishing that fixing the rest of this mess would be that easy, but it was worth it to see some of the tension leaving Jesse as he headed for the bathroom, no doubt relieved to have something concrete to do.

    Of course, that meant that he was now alone with their shivering, terrified Omega who didn’t even realise they were with him. It was too much, and yet he stepped closer when Jack whimpered again, contorting under the covers. “Jack,” he murmured, soft, soothing, knowing that right now it was probably anything but. He didn’t want to push, but Jack needed more even if he didn’t realise it or want it and after a moment of hesitation Gabriel cautiously lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, pressing against him, making sure to leave him room to escape if he wanted.

“N-No…” Jack whined, keening as he tried to lurch away from the sudden contact, shuddering when Gabriel ignored his protests, fingers moving to his hair which had been exposed by the sudden movement and beginning to play with the sweat-sodden locks. It was something that had always soothed Jack, Gabriel and Jesse usually taking turns in the evenings when he’d had a stressful day, letting him sprawl out in their lap as they played with his hair and massaged his scalp, easing away the pressures of the day. Today Jack tensed and keened again weaker this time, yet for a second he leant into the gentle touch, only to jerk away again a moment later, repeating the action a few seconds later. Needing the comfort but not welcoming it.

“Jack…” Gabriel faltered, not knowing what to say. Not knowing what words could possibly make this situation better, swallowing thickly as he finally caught a glimpse of Jack’s face as the Omega jerked away again. Jack was a mess. Deathly pale apart from the feverish colour high on his cheeks, sweat beading on his forehead, but it was his eyes that made it hard for Gabriel to breathe. They were barely open, narrow slits of blue that passed over him, unfocused, pained…frightened. It was an expression he never wanted to see again, his fingers curling in Jack’s hair. “I’m so sorry.” He knew that it was too soon for those words. Jack was in no state to hear them right now, let alone understand or respond, yet Gabriel found himself murmuring the words over and over, eyes beginning to sting. _We did this…_

_I’m sorry Jack. I’m so sorry…_

     He had hoped that Jack might relax a little by the time that Jesse returned from filling the bath, but instead, Jack seemed worse than before, even though he had abandoned his attempts to escape Gabriel’s touch. Although Gabriel had a feeling it was more to do with being exhausted than accepting his touch, and the strain must have shown in his expression because Jesse faltered, eyes flicking between them before he moved closer. Gun-calloused fingers brushing Gabriel’s cheek briefly, the fleeting touch making him realise how much he needed the comfort, the reassurance that he hadn’t screwed up completely. And he didn’t protest when Jesse pulled his hand away from Jack, replacing it with his own, only a tiny flinch betraying his reaction when Jack shuddered and whined at the new contact.

“Shh Sweetheart,” Jesse murmured as he brushed his fingers against Jack’s cheek, only the slightest waver in his voice showing that he was still out of his depth, everything else hidden behind a mask as Jack’s gaze moved over him without the slightest hint of recognition. “We’re not going to do anything, we just need to get you cleaned up and cooled down.” He waited for a moment, hoping that the words would sink in so that Jack wouldn’t fight them, but when he moved to pull back the covers, Jack keened and frantically clawed at them, trying to hide himself under them.

“No.” Gods it hurt to see him like this, normally during a heat Jack was the same as always, stubborn, strong-willed…and demanding, Gabriel’s lips twitched weakly, remembering how bossy their mate could become at that time, not that either of them would deny him anyway. Now, there was a feebleness to his struggles that made Gabriel want to scoop him up and cart him off to Angela, the sour smell intensifying as a pale Jesse finished pulling off the covers. “N-No.”

    Gabriel forced himself to move, sharing a pained glance with Jesse as they managed to lift Jack off the bed, feeling how his clothes were sticking to him and the dampness of his bottoms. He didn’t make it easy for them, seeming to find fresh strength from his single-minded desire to escape, the keening wails almost constant as he struggled against their hold. Jesse hissing as nails raked his cheek, although he didn’t loosen his grip, murmuring soft reassurances even though the words were falling on deaf ears. They nearly lost him in the doorway, caught by surprise when he flailed, catching Gabriel in the chin before managing to latch onto the doorframe, crying and twisting as he tried to escape.

    As weakened as he was, it didn’t detract from the fact that he was an enhanced soldier and it took everything they had to get him to let go, wincing as his cries took on a fresh ring of desperation as he realised that he couldn’t escape. “Gabe…” Jesse was trembling again, whatever control he’d managed to get over his emotions failing as Jack jerked in their arms and Gabriel gritted his teeth.

“It’ll be all right.” Who was he trying to reassure? Jack? Jesse? Himself? He didn’t know, and the words fell flat as Jack keened again, ramming his shoulder into Gabriel when they halted next to the bath. The blow caught him by surprise, and he nearly released his hold, cursing aloud and instantly regretting it when Jack flinched, curling in on himself. “Easy Jack, easy.” He took a deep breath, feeling the tremors wracking Jack and knowing they were making it worse, forcing himself to focus instead on the burning heat coming from the omega. That at least was fixable, he hoped. Readjusting his grip of Jack despite the whispered protests it drew, worried when Jack made little effort to fight him off this time, lifting his head to meet Jesse’s gaze. “I’ve got him, you need to get his clothes off.”

    As Jesse started to peel off the sodden clothes Gabriel continued talking to Jack, promising him that everything would be okay, praying that he wasn’t going to be proven a liar. Jack was slumping against him now, no longer making any effort to pull away although he was still keening lightly under his breath, chest heaving and the sound growing weaker. “Hurry,” Gabriel urged, helping to manoeuvre Jack’s arms out of his shirt as Jesse obeyed, faltering at the sight of Jack’s mating marks which seemed inflamed against the pale skin, itching to reach out and run his fingers over them. He fought the urge, knowing that it could tip Jack over the edge if he thought a strange Alpha was touching his mark, dragging his gaze away just as Jesse finished removing Jack’s trousers, leaving him in nothing but his boxers.

     Not for the first time, Gabriel was glad that they’d decided to use Jack’s quarters as their home, it was the only one outside of the one that had been adapted for Ana and Fareeha to have such a bathroom and a proper bath. It was still a struggle for them to lift Jack up and into the water, as he was now little more than deadweight between them, eyes completely shut, although the keening told them that he wasn’t entirely out yet. Gabriel knew that he never wanted to hear that noise again, although he almost changed his mind as Jack cried out as he was settled into the lukewarm water, his mind flashing back to nights in SEP when Jack had screamed like that as the treatments threatened to tear him apart.

    Jack was thrashing again, writhing as the water slid over burning skin and Gabriel struggled to hold him still, Jesse slipping around him so that he could support Jack’s head as it threatened to collide with the tiles, one hand resting between it and the wall, his other beginning to scoop water up and over Jack. “No…no…” Jack lurched back, trying to escape from both them and the water and it was terrifyingly easy for them to hold him in place this time, both cringing as he keened again as he realised that he wasn’t getting away from them. “No…” His eyes struggled open once more, wild, frightened and for a moment they thought that he had seen them, gaze seeming to flicker between them, that hope dying a painful death with his next words. “Gabe…. Jesse…why didn’t you come?”

 


	4. Chapter 4

_“Gabe…Jesse…why didn’t you come?”_

       The question hung in the air between them and neither Jesse nor Gabriel could look at each other as they continued to hold their mate in place, stopping him from slipping too far down in the water as he went limp in their arms, whatever energy he’d managed to summon up draining out of him with that question. They were silent as they both scooped water over him, careful to let their fingers brush against his overheated skin as often as they could, knowing that Jack needed the contact, absorbing each flinch and quiet whine but refusing to pull back. Every now and then he would paw at the hands holding him in place, eyes opening long enough to try and push them away, before they would slide shut once more, defeat written across his face.

     The question alone had hurt, but what had made it worse was that Jack hadn’t sounded angry or bitter, or any of the myriad emotions they might have expected. That they deserved…instead, he had just sounded lost, and gods, it hurt.

    Gabriel was shuddering now, his control barely hanging by a thread, only the fact that they needed to get Jack cooled down allowing him to keep up the rhythmic effort of pouring water over the Omega, but he could feel that control threatening to slip with each shudder that wracked Jack. Each whimper. He wanted to comfort him, to reassure him that they were both there, but his voice wouldn’t work, and the words wouldn’t come. In the end, it was Jesse that broke the silence, but even he seemed incapable of saying those words, or perhaps he was waiting for Gabriel to say them, as instead, he launched into meaningless babble, voice soft and soothing, catching with each sound Jack made.

If he closed his eyes for a moment, Gabriel could almost pretend that things were normal and that they were just helping Jack ride out his heat in the usual way. Almost…because normally the water would be warm, filled with Jack’s favourite bubble bath, and one of them would be laid beneath him, holding him, rubbing soothing circles over his abdomen to ease the cramps, while the other sat beside them, murmuring like Jesse was now. He sucked in a shuddering breath, startled to realise that he had closed his eyes, and when he opened them again he found Jesse staring at him with a knowing expression, and he glanced away with a cough. They couldn’t afford to get lost in thoughts like that right now, and he swallowed as he studied Jack for a moment, feeling his control slipping further as their mate chose that moment to stir weakly and try to push them away.

    Jack’s efforts only lasted a moment or two, he was too drained to do much more at this point, but even so, it was too much for Gabriel. Slowly he pulled his hand away, watching Jack for any sign of reaction, unwilling to risk making him worse, but he seemed as settled as he was going to be at the moment, no doubt helped by Jesse’s firm grip on his side although he doubted that Jack saw it that way. Still, it meant that he was free to lean back, rubbing a damp hand over his face before glancing at Jesse’s who had fallen silent at his movement.

“Have you got him?” _Please say yes,_ he hadn’t forgotten that Jesse was utterly out of his depth, but right now he needed Jesse to be able to cope, just for a few minutes. He wasn’t sure if his desperation had shown in his voice, or if his expression was showing just how close to the edge he was, but Jesse visibly tried to gather himself, squaring his shoulders as he nodded.

“Y-Yeah,” Jesse was clearly trying to sound confident, but his voice cracked, water sloshing between his fingers as he glanced at Jack’s pale face, the doubt bubbling up. “I think so?”

“I’m going to go and change the bed and find him some clean clothes,” Gabriel explained, glad that he had a reasonable excuse for his escape. Jesse didn’t seem fooled, and he was starting to wonder just when the younger man had become so attuned at reading him when Jesse sighed and decided to play along.

“Okay…” The hesitation shone through again as he added quietly. “Just…hurry.”

“I will,” Neither of them could afford to stay away for long, not until Jack was back with them and aware of who they were, but Gabriel knew that he would never be able to ignore that pleading tone. He ached to reach out and touch Jesse’s cheek, seeing the lingering fear in the tawny eyes, the worry as he resumed scooping water over Jack, wanting to reassure him, yet unable to bring himself to do it. Not when Jack was like this. _“The two of you covered in each other’s scent and not his…”_ Ana’s angry words replayed through his mind, quelling the urge more effectively than anything he could have done, and he scooted back, collecting Jack’s clothes as he rose to his feet and practically bolting from the room. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

**

    He left the bathroom door slightly ajar, not willing to remove that lifeline from Jesse, but needing some semblance of privacy because his control was crumbling now. His mask shattering now that his mates weren’t right next to him, and Gabriel managed two more steps before he collapsed, falling to his knees with an anguished sound, huddling over the clothes in his arms as a sob wracked him. Desperately he buried his nose in Jack’s coat and trying to block out everything but his…their…Omega’s scent, another sob hitting as he realised how long it had been since he had taken time to just scent Jack, to drink in the smell that had come to represent home ever since he had first stepped into their shared room in SEP.

_How could I let it come to this?_

      He shuddered and shook under the force of his sobs, the weight of his failure…their failure…hitting him anew because this wasn’t the same scent as back then. There were still traces of Jack’s summery scent, but that was all they were traces, the sour bitterness of Heat Sickness overwhelming them, and Gabriel half-wanted to fling the clothes away from him to escape it. He knew that it wouldn’t be enough, knew that the scent had soaked into everything by now, feeling as though it was staining his soul as he knelt there.

_We did this…_

     He remained like that for a couple more minutes before valiantly trying to pull himself back together, aware that both Jack and Jesse were waiting for him. Reluctantly he pulled his face out of Jack’s clothes, dashing a hand across his cheeks to try and remove the evidence although he knew Jesse wouldn’t be fooled. Remembering his excuse for coming through to the bedroom he staggered to his feet, and he was a split second from tossing the dirty clothes into the laundry basket when he faltered, a fresh sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach as he realised just how bad things were. He hadn’t noticed it before, too focused on Jack, and trying to get his fever down, but there was no nest or any signs that Jack had even been preparing to build one.

    _Why?_ Jack had always been meticulous with his nest building, hoarding materials long in advance and bossing Jesse and Gabriel around as he sent them to fetch extras from stores, fussing over each item, and not afraid to let them know if their offerings weren’t up to standard. He would then spend hours carefully arranging the nest itself, always making sure there was enough room for them all no matter how tight it was, weaving their scents together. He had made it home, and even when he was caught in the height of his heat period he would still be fixing it, trying to make it as perfect as he could, preening under their praise.

   Even before they had mated, Jack had nested, Gabriel always finding that he lost the odd item of clothing around that time, and he knew that the rest of the Strike team had lost the odd thing or two, not that any of them had complained. It was a compliment, a sign that Jack trusted them and considered them family.

    Which made its absence here even harder to bear. However, Gabriel didn’t understand why he would forgo it, even with how things were between them. The nesting instinct was separate from the others, and Jack should have wanted the comfort more than ever, even if he had decided not to include his and Jesse’s scent in its construction for once. _So why?_ He glanced around, taking in the empty floor that would usually be piled high with clothes at this point, especially around the bed and froze, a low, whine building in the back of his throat as a memory stirred.

   _It had been a terrible day. The media had upped its frenzy over some of the details of Blackwatch’s missions that had been leaked to the public, and Gabriel had spent the entire meeting fielding demands for comments, attempts to arrange press conferences and talking with his higher-ups…Jack not included… and he had no idea if his mate had just been left out, or if he was trying to avoid the mess, as the last time they had spoken about it, it had descended rapidly into an argument. Or rather Gabriel had turned it into one, he admitted, knowing that the stress was starting to tell in his behaviour, reinforced by the fact that Jesse had declined to come home with him, preferring to head down to the practice range to blow off some steam of his own._

_His already foul mood had deteriorated when he’d got home to find that there was no sign of Jack and that their room which had been spotless that morning was now a mess of scattered clothes, an extra blanket slung over the end of the bed. Normally it wouldn’t have bothered him, but when he was as stressed like this, he needed everything in order, and growling under his breath, cursing the U.N., the press and inconsiderate mates he started cleaning. Not just a surface clean either, as he found himself scrubbing everything, pursuing every inch of dirt with a single-minded focus, just to keep everything else at bay for a little longer._

_He was almost finished when he heard the door to their quarters sliding open, the flood of summery scent entering the apartment telling him who it was and straightened, turning to look at the bedroom door, just as Jack appeared._

_“Gabe…” Jack seemed to come up short, and there was a flicker of something in his eyes before he adopted a blank expression that immediately had Gabriel on edge, as it was the same one he wore whenever they had a meeting about Blackwatch’s latest actions. “What have you done?” For half a moment he thought his mate was breaking their rule about bringing work home, but then he realised that the blue eyes were busy darting around the room, taking in the now empty floor and the tidy bed, and he scowled, reminded of his earlier irritation._

_“This place was a mess,” he muttered, making no effort to soften his tone, even when he saw Jack flinch at his words. “Try and keep it tidier.”_

_“I…” He looked at Jack incredulously, was he really going to argue with him about this? Gabriel stiffened, ready to remind Jack of who the Alpha was here, when the blond seemed to collapse in on himself, shoulders slumping in defeat.  “Fine.” Before Gabriel could do or say anything else, Jack had turned on his heel and all but bolted for the front door, and he felt the first prickle of guilt as he chased after him, wondering what on earth was going on._

_“Jack?” He called, but it was too late, the front door already open, Jack darting out of it, and nearly bowling Jesse over in the process. He didn’t stop to apologise, instead side-stepping Jesse, and disappearing down the corridor, and Jesse frowned before glancing across at Gabriel who had come to a halt in the middle of the room when he realised that Jack had no intention of stopping._

_“What was that about?”_

_“I have no idea.”_

“Damn it,” Gabriel muttered, fingers tightening on the clothes in his hands. “Damn it! Damn it!” _How could he have been so blind?_ Jack had been starting to nest, beginning to prepare and Gabriel… Gabriel had not only torn it apart, but he had scolded him for it, made him feel as though he couldn’t build another one. What had he been thinking? Yes, he had been stressed and angry, but he should have known that Jack wouldn’t have made a mess without reason. Both still struggling to adapt to the fact that they had the room, and the right to scatter their belongings about as they pleased nowadays, while Jesse still had a habit of hoarding stuff away, waiting for the hammer to fall and to find himself cast adrift once more.

    His eyes were burning again, failure leaving a bitter taste in his mouth and he knew that this one was all on him. He was the one that had done this. He could remember now how they had waited for Jack to work through whatever snit he was in and come home, growing antsier and antsier as the night wore on, and in the end, it had been in the early hours of the morning when they had gone to fetch him. And he hadn’t said a word, hadn’t explained what had upset him, and yet he had let them worry over him and chivvy him home, it was one of the last times that Gabriel could clearly remember the three of them sleeping entangled, scenting each other. Gabriel had destroyed his nest, and he had forgiven him just like this….

Would he be able to do the same, after everything else?

    Gabriel wasn’t sure, and that scared him more than he could admit. It wasn’t going to be easy, he was going to have to fight for it, earn it, even more than Jesse would, and he glanced down at the clothes in his hand, now bunched in his trembling fingers, and his face hardened. He knew just where to start…

_I’m going to fix this Jack, I promise…_

**

    It was nearly ten minutes later that he slipped back into the bathroom with fresh clothes for Jack, Jesse’s head shooting up as the door creaked slightly, relief written across his face. “I was starting to worry.”

“Sorry,” Gabriel apologised, seeing the tension in Jesse’s shoulders and smelling it in the air. “I got caught up with something.” Jesse nodded, accepting, before narrowing his eyes as he studied Gabriel, who fought not to flinch under the intense gaze, sure that his meltdown must be written across his features, especially when tawny eyes softened.

“Do you feel any better?”

“Not really.”

“Yeah.” There was no need for Jesse to say anything more, they both knew what the answer to anything like that would be until Jack was back on his feet.  It had always been the case, Gabriel mused, knowing that they could both handle everything else falling apart, as long as they had Jack to come back to… only we didn’t, he thought with a fresh surge of guilt, finally letting his gaze drift to Jack. The Omega seemed quieter now, resting against the side of the bath, head resting against Jesse’s leg when he had managed to wedge him into place so that he could support Jack properly and still the reach the water. The flush was still vibrant against his pale skin, but it seemed to Gabriel that it wasn’t as overwhelming as it had been before, or maybe that was wishful thinking.

“How is he?”

“His fever has gone down a bit,” Jesse murmured, brushing his fingers over Jack’s forehead. “He seems a little more settled too, it’s been a while since he’d flinched or tried to pull away from me, but he still doesn’t recognise me.” Gabriel tried not to be disappointed with that news, knowing that it was too soon to expect anything else, trying to focus on the fact that at least their efforts were having some effect.

“We’ll give him a few more minutes and then get him out,” he murmured, moving closer and crouching beside the bath, allowing himself to gently touch Jesse’s leg in passing before he reached in to feel Jack’s forehead for himself. He hadn’t expected a reaction, and he was startled when Jack stirred with a mumble, the words too faint for him to work out, and he was more focused on the sliver of blue that was now visible, growing as Jack’s head lolled in his direction. “Hey Jackie,” he whispered, cautiously leaving his hand in place, ready to snatch it back if Jack reacted negatively. Jack blinked, a low noise building in the back of his throat, but he didn’t pull back. However, he didn’t lean in either, and there was nothing in the hazy stare to suggest that he knew who was with him, or where he was, his eyes slowly drifting shut a moment later.

“That’s a good sign, right?” Jesse asked, a note of pleading in his voice, reminding Gabriel that he was out of his depth here and he managed to force a weak smile and a nod. It wasn’t as convincing as either of them wanted, although Gabriel knew that it was as good a sign as they were going to get at this stage, and Jesse seemed to have realised the same as he appeared to rally, hands steadier as he dared to reach out and run his fingers through Jack’s hair.

     It was only a couple of minutes later that Jack began to shiver, and they took that as the signal to move, pulling the plug while they worked out the logistics of getting their mate out of the bath and dried. He was limp, a deadweight between them as they manoeuvred him up and out of the tub, but it was made easier by the fact that he wasn’t trying to fight them this time, although he did whine out a protest when he found himself pressed up against Gabriel’s chest as Jesse tenderly towelled him dry. He was especially careful where the slick had pooled earlier, and he took longer than necessary as he massaged Jack’s abdomen, feeling the way, it was spasming under the force of his cramps. Jack mewled at that, protesting, but he didn’t pull away, even seeming to lean into the touch for a moment. Gabriel shushed him as best as he could, but Jack simply lacked the energy to fight them at this stage, continuing to make soft noises of distress, increasing with volume when they had to move him around more to ease him into the clothes.

“Let’s get him back to bed,” Gabriel ordered softly, reluctant to break the relative peace that had settled over them, but he wanted to see if his efforts helped and he knew that they needed to at least get some water into Jack.

    Carefully supporting him between them, feeling him shivering and flinching whenever he pressed against them for too long they slowly moved him through to the bedroom. Jesse letting out a startled noise as he spotted the unmistakable signs of a nest on the bed, one that hadn’t been there before he realised with a jolt, eyes darting to Gabriel just in time to see the guilt that flashed across his face. There was something more to it, but now wasn’t the time to ask, so he settled for asking softly. “This is what took you so long?” Gabriel wouldn’t meet his gaze, but there was no missing the slight jerk of his head, and Jesse sighed, turning back to study the bed. It was nothing like the beautiful nests that Jack normally made for them, too practical and precise…too Gabriel…but just the thought of being able to curl up in a nest with both his mates, was enough to make Jesse relax slightly, reminding him of happier times. “It’s perfect…”

    They both knew it wasn’t, that it wouldn’t be until Jack was aware enough to shift it around and make it to his standards if he even wanted to after all this, but he saw Gabriel straighten a little at his words, and for now, that was enough.

    They guided Jack the last few steps, before easing him down onto the bed, Gabriel gently guiding him until he was lying in the middle, leaving just enough room for them to squeeze in on either side. The result was almost instantaneous, Jack relaxing a tiny bit now that he was no longer pressed against them, but then his nose twitched slightly, a furrow appearing between his eyes as the scents from the clothes and blankets piled up around the bed reaching him. Both Alphas freezing, watching with a mixture of hope and fear as he shifted, restless once more, reaching out blindly with groping fingers to find the source of the scents. Gabriel had been about to try and move one closer when Jack latched onto a plain, t-shirt, one that could have belonged to either of them, but was probably drenched in all their scents, pulling it towards himself, the furrow deepening as his fingers clenched in the material.

“J…” Jesse cut himself off as he caught Gabriel frantically shaking his head, realising that Jack had frozen at the noise, knuckles turning white with how tightly he was clutching his prize. He remained like that for a couple of minutes, waiting for the threat to manifest, but when neither of them moved or said anything further, he resumed pulling it towards him. It was hard for them both to hold back a sigh as Jack buried his nose in the material, something he had always done when he needed comfort. However, normally he would have just melted into a limp pile around it, but today he moved, curling around it, back and shoulders rigid. Defensive. And Jesse saw the guilt appear again, Gabriel stumbling back a couple of steps as their mate let out a weak growl, a clear note of warning in the noise.

_Mine…_

   Jack had never once been defensive of his nest before, always happy to welcome them even when it was incomplete, even though Jesse had heard that most Omegas tended to refuse entrance until it was fully finished. Jesse frowned, wondering if it was just because Gabriel had been the one to build it? Or because it had been created after his heat started? Which was another thing that confused him, because Jack had never once forgone building his nest in advance, and it was usually the clearest sign they had that he was about to go into heat. And yet Jesse had seen no hint of this time - no piles of clothes and blankets gathering by the bed, no mysteriously disappearing towels or clothes, no bossy demands for the softest blankets from storage. He didn’t understand, a low whine slipping out despite his best efforts to stifle it, because he felt completely out of his depth, even though he was one of the ones that Jack was relying on to fix this mess. _How the hell am I supposed to fix it, when I don’t even understand what is happening?_

    The unintentional noise had an immediate effect on both his mates, Gabriel freezing mid-retreat and staring at him wide-eyed, the urge to comfort visibly warring with his guilt, fingers flexing as though he was fighting the urge to reach for Jesse. However, that paled in comparison to the broken, stuttering croon that rose from the bed.

 


End file.
